Alfonso Batalla Store

ALFONSO BATALLA

ALFONSO BATALLA’S WORK STRIKES A CHORD WITH THE VIEWER, VIBRATING QUITE DEEP WITHIN.

GRACEFULLY SIMPLE IN BOTH MOTIF AND EXECUTION, ITS EQUIPOISE IN COMPOSITION AND COLLECTED CALMNESS SOON GIVE WAY TO AN UNDERLYING PROVOCATION AND CONFUSION ADDRESSING EACH OF US WHERE IT MIGHT HURT EMOTIONALLY.

FACED WITH VOID SPACE, EMPTINESS, DECAY, A SENSE OF WAITING AND A LINGERING PRESENCE OF SOMETHING MISSING, THE VIEWER IS FORCED TO EXPLORE WITHIN THEMSELVES AND CONFRONT THE INTIMATE FEELING OF LONELINESS WHICH WE ALL CARRY WITH US.

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WITH THESE PHOTOGRAPHS UNIVERSAL LAW THAT STATES THAT EVERY EMPTY SPACE TENDS TO BE FILLED IS MET. THERE IS "SOMETHING" IN THOSE EMPTY ROOMS, THERE IS A NON-PRESENCE, AN ABSENCE THERE, A SHORT OF "NO-PEOPLE". IT SEEMS THAT EVERITHING IS READY FOR AN HUMAN BEING TO INHABITE WITHIN THOSE WALLS. AND THAT PRESENCE COULD ONLY BE THE OBVSERVER HIMSELF.

THUS, THE SPECTATOR BECOMES A TRUE BEING-IN-THE-WORLD TAKING HIS VERY NATURE AS SOON AS HE CARES BY ACEPTING THE INVITATION/NEED OF THE EMTY ROOM TO BE FILLED. AT THE SAME TIME, THAT HEARTLESS AND INEXPRESSIVE SPACE BECOMES DISTRESSING AND CREATES ANXIETY AND SHOWS THAT BEING IS ALWAYS FALLING, BEING TOWARDS DEATH, FOLLOWING HEIDEGGER AND EXISTENCIALISM THEORIES.

SOMETIMES THE BEHAVIOUR OF THESE ROOMS AND SPACES BECOMES MORE PROACTIVE. THE FORMULATION OF LIGHT, PERSPECTIVE, SCENE, FOREGROUND, BACKGROUND, ABSTRACT TEXTURES OR LACK OF DETAIL, SPEAKS TO THE VIEWER. THEY NO LONGER INVITE HIM BUT WANT TO CHAT WITH HIM, SHOUTING THEIR OWN MESSAGES AND FORWARDING AN ANSWER. THEY PREVENT US FROM LOOKING AT THE SPACE ITSELF AS WE CENTER OUR ATTENTION TO DETAILS.

THE BODIES, THE CONCRETE MATTER, RISE ABOVE HIDE THE BEING IN ITSELF TO WALLOW IN AN INSANE EXISTENCE.

EXISTENTIALIST INTERPRETATION PERFECTLY PORTRAITS WHAT OUR DAY TO DAY LIFE IS WHEN RHYTHM OF EXISTENCE PRECLUDES OUR BEING. DISTRESS IS THE ONLY FORCE CAPABLE OF TURNING US OVER AND INTO OURSELVES TO HAVE A GLANCE OF OUR TRUE NATURE.

THESE LONE VOIDS ARE INTRIGUING BUT THEY PROVE THAT BEAUTY RESIDES IN THE TRUE BEING, AND IT HAS MORE TO DO WITH DECAY THAT WITH ORDER, MAYBE PRECISELY BECAUSE THE "FALLING" NATURE OF BEING.

FINALY, IN ALL OF THESE IMAGES THE TIME FACTOR DOESNT EXIST. THESE PLACES SEEM TO BE FROZEN IN TIME.